True Friendship Lasts Longer Than a Lifetime
by m-is-for-MollyMansfieldMealing
Summary: Inspired by a writeworld prompt on tumblr; ""You're not going to get anywhere staring at my grave you know."". Set a couple of weeks after the fire at the wedding, and Charlie is trying to cope with the after effects...


**It starts off a bit iffy but gets better as it goes along, I promise!**

 **I hope you all enjoy (despite the sadness) and reviews would be very nice! -Sophie x**

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 _"_ _You're not going to get anywhere staring at my grave you know."_

The man could hear her voice as he looked down at the cold, grey slab of stone, the words "Tess Bateman. Loving mother, nurse and friend to all. Gone but never forgotten." etched there for all eternity.

Charlie sighed, kneeling down to change the flowers in her vase. The old ones were a week old now and had withered, looking sad and forlorn in stature. He replaced them with a newer, brighter bunch; their colours were vibrant and stems strong.

"These are from your garden." He said quietly, arranging them so they could all be seen by passers-by. "Don't worry, I'm keeping up with it now Sam's moved away again. Your roses are smelling beautiful."

Clutching the stone for balance, Charlie managed to stand and straighten up, his back cracking in various places.

"Jesus I'm getting old." He muttered, going to sit on the wooden bench opposite Tess' plot of grass.

 _"_ _Poppycock. You've got plenty of life in you yet Fairhead."_

The nurse smiled, stretching out his legs and crossing his arms over his front. The sun was shining against a backdrop of ocean-blue sky, with not a cloud to be seen for miles. It was the sort of day he'd have spent walking, perhaps to the local park and back with little Abs if Dixie was working, or sat in his back garden with his week-end paperwork.

But instead Charlie was sat in their local cemetery, dearly missing his friend.

The fire at Zoe and Max's wedding was the worst event he had ever been involved in, and he knew the after effects would last a life-time. His heart suffered immensely; both physically and metaphorically. After saving Zoe and dragging her back to the shore, he suffered a mild heart attack; something that had never happened before. This weakened him to the point where Dylan and Cal who treat him had to admit him to Geriatrics for a week (and the man was very offended when they did so too. Geriatrics? Charming.).

It was in that same ED, the one he had worked in for bang on 30 years and had many memories with, where his oldest and most beloved friend passed away.

He felt it, as soon as it happened; the pain in his chest lifted, the ward quietened and the sun broke through the clouds outside his window. Connie came to break the news, but she never ended up doing so. Instead she sat and comforted her colleague whose heart strained in his chest that little bit more, now he had one less friend in that godforsaken hospital.

 _"_ _No good comes from living in the past. Surely you know that."_

Out of the corner of his eye, Charlie noticed a pair of approaching figures. As they got nearer, he realised it was Robyn and Lofty, evidently on their way home from the day shift. The woman carried something in her hands, small enough to conceal behind her shaking fingers. The sun hit their faces and the older nurse realised she was crying.

He stood when they reached him and held out his arms. Robyn fell into them, hugging the warm figure tightly.

"I forgot- I forgot and I tried to find her but she wasn't there." She sobbed as the nurse rubbed her back.

"Shh it's alright darlin'." He said quietly. "It's natural."

They stood still for a few moments, seeking comfort in each other before breaking away. Robyn sniffed and rubbed at her eyes with her jacket sleeve. Charlie watched, swallowing a few times before he spoke again.

"What've you got there?" His voice was gruff but they pretended not to notice. The ginger haired nurse opened her hand to reveal a small stone figure. It was an angel with the words "Always in our hearts" engraved along the bottom of its stand. She shrugged nervously, suddenly feeling slightly silly.

"I saw it the other day, I thought it would look nice with the flowers."

Charlie smiled and nodded.

"Go ahead."

Her face broke into a relieved beam and she went over to the grave. Lofty moved closer to Charlie, his arms crossed.

"It's really hit her hard hasn't it." The older man sighed. His colleague nodded.

"She was a bit of a mother figure, seeing as ours are never around. Scared the hell out of us most of the time, but we still looked up to her." Lofty's voice faded away as he watched his roommate place the angel next to the vase of flowers. She looked up for their approval.

 _"_ _Left a little. If the vase blows over it'll smash it."_

"Maybe move it left a little? It's meant to be windy tonight, we don't want it to smash." Charlie called to her, and she nodded before moving it.

 _"_ _Perfect."_

"Perfect. Come on, you can come to mine for tea- I made a lasagne earlier."

Robyn nodded and went back to join the two men. Charlie glanced back as they walked away.

It was nice seeing you again Tess, he thought, a small smile appearing at his lips.

 _"_ _I don't know what you mean. I never left your side."_


End file.
